The importance of email marketing solutions and other digital, promotional media was one of the main talking points at the occasion, which was attended by representatives from Sony Ericsson and Virgin Atlantic among others.

Mr Parsons said: “Any dissection of advertising mail’s place was absent, replaced by talk of how technology had led to social media, mobile marketing and other digital channels fast adopting the attributes that have been used to sell DM for time immemorial: targeted and accountable campaigns.”

Another potentially disastrous stumbling block for physical mail – in comparison to digital messages – is due to come into play on April 2nd 2012, when the VAT exemption bulk mail previously enjoyed will be dropped, Third Sector reported.

This will add 20 per cent to the cost of sending out such promotional literature and reinforces the benefits of companies switching to email communications.

Mike Lordon, chief of operations at the DMA, responded to the news by saying that it would create a “serious financial issue” for charities that take advantage of the tax break to raise awareness of their causes.